Note: Since this meetup is FULL, please arrive early so security can handle the crowd. Also, if you RSVPd "yes" and your plans have changed, please update your RSVP so someone else can grab your slot. Thanks!

Computing has changed much since the 1970s. Hardware. Data. Programming languages. But despite all these advances in hardware capabilities, in the types of data we process (tweets, comments, photos, video), and in the expressive powers of our programming languages, we're still using a database paradigm that's 40 years old. Hence, the proliferation of new database technologies. This talk will introduce MongoDB, an open-source, document-oriented database optimized for speed, scalability, and ease of use.

Kyle Banker from http://10gen.com... will start us off with a live tutorial, setting up MongoDB and experimenting with the JavaScript shell. Then we'll look at how to use MongoDB from Ruby and Rails. We'll explore MongoDB's unique features, including atomic updates-in-place, upserts, and capped collections. We'll see how to use map-reduce for complex aggregation. And, finally, we'll compare document-oriented data modeling with relational modeling. By the end of the presentation, you'll have a good understanding of MongoDB's capabilities. You may even be inspired to start using it in your projects.

After most downtown meetings we head over to Elephant & Castle (185 N. Wabash) for refreshments & fellowship. Join us for a few minutes if you have time.

Please use your real name when you RSVP for downtown ChicagoRuby meetings. Reason: We are required to give a list of all attendees to the security desk prior to the meeting. If the name on your ID doesn't the match the name on the RSVP list, then Aon security will not let you in the building. Sorry for the inconvenience, but those are the rules of the Aon Building.